MDC - Kendall 2014-2015 program participants during International Education Week

Community College Initiative Program

Providing opportunities for individuals from other countries to develop leadership, professional skills and English language proficiency, while studying at a community college in the United States

Featured Event

Annual Retreat

January 10th – 16th, 2015

Washington D.C. and New York City

Following the holiday season, the CCIP will embark once again on its exciting and eventful annual retreat. This year, the group of 130 program participants representing 12 countries (Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, Cote d'Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Pakistan, South Africa and Turkey) will meet in Washington, D.C. to kick of the weeklong retreat ending in New York City.

This year boasts an exciting schedule including a meetings with the Assistant Secretary, Evan Ryan, the Associate Supreme Court Justice, Sonia Sotomayor and with the USUN in New York City. In line with Secretary Kerry’s emphasis on the importance of climate change, the program participants will also meet with an esteemed panel of experts discussing current events as well as making research presentation on an array of climate change topics. Other events include a tour of Mt. Vernon, a behind the scenes tour of the Smithsonian Museum of American History, a guided tour by volunteers and survivors of the 9/11 Memorial and a visit to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, among many others.

The annual retreat is a culmination of meeting important US representatives, visiting historical American landmarks as well as an opportunity for program participants to come together and share their experiences with one another and the program. Throughout the retreat, program participants will partake in educational activities and seminars that will enable them to reflect on their time in the US thus far, refocus on the upcoming semester and make an action plan for success beyond the program boundaries including the proper leadership tools required for success. It will certainly be a cold adventure, but the 2014-2015 group will be too busy to notice!

News & Highlights

NOVA International Education Week

12/6/2014 by: Leeza Fernand in Current Events

International Education Week at the NOVA

Students, faculty and staff members gathered during International Education Week at the Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) Alexandria Campus. The weeklong series of events took place during the week of November 17th-21st, and featured Community College Initiative Program (CCIP) participants from the Alexandria and Annandale Campuses. The CCIP participants designed posters, created art displays, performed and featured handcrafted art from their countries.

The countries represented were Bangladesh, Colombia, Cote d’Ivoire, India, Pakistan, South Africa, Indonesia, Kenya, and Turkey. Several students and faculty members complimented the CCI students on their work, and were impressed by the presentations the CCIP participants made. With their presentations the students were able to bring a piece of their countries to the NOVA campus. Several faculty members commented on their interest in visiting the featured countries. The presentation showcased traditional clothing, food, cultural and religious practices, geography and regional dances. Community members and vendors from Alexandria were also a part of IEW.

One of the highlights of IEW were the program participants from Indonesia who came together to perform traditional dances from various regions of Indonesia. NOVA students and faculty members were impressed with the performance, and some joined in during the dance. Another highlight was a CCIP participant from Pakistan who won a tweeting competition held by the Instructional Design division of the Alexandria Campus. Several students also participated in the Open Mic discussion regarding diversity, and several students volunteered during the event as well, working with the IEW team to coordinate the events and make sure that it was a success.

Sarah Dawood

12/6/2014 by: Leeza Fernand in Alumni Highlights

Sarah and friend Yasemin who met through the CCIP.

Sarah Dawood, a Community College Initiative Program participant from Pakistan, studied Business Administration and Management at Miami Dade College in the pilot year of the CCC program in 2010. As a divorcee, a woman and a mother of two, Sarah struggled to achieve her dreams in Pakistan – her lifelong dream was ‘to study in a college as a student someday.’

The CCIP gave her that opportunity. She enrolled in numerous business, marketing, and management classes, while still finding the time to create social media platforms that involved her cohort and allowed for communication beyond the program. She took many of the younger program participants under her wing – helping them with integration, English preparation and overall positive reinforcement.

Her successes were numerous, not only did she excel, but she finished the program with a cumulative GPA of 4.0. Upon her return to Pakistan, Sarah put her education to work – letting her newly honed skills in communication, marketing and management land her a coveted position with a huge multinational airline. Her success keeps growing, and she is currently working “for a leading multinational company as Supervisor Internal Communications, Corporate Affairs, for our Pakistan affiliate.” Sarah attributes her confidence and success to CCIP and every participant, staff member and professor with whom she worked.

Community College Consortium Logo Origins

Our logo is the culmination of CCIP participants coming together to design a logo that represents their program. A competition was held, and the insignia you see above, won the prize! The focal point of the design are the three C’s intertwined with one another – and stand for Community College Consortium. Within each ‘C’ a primary element of the program is represented = Education, Community and Understanding – three pillars of CCIP intertwined with one another to create an enriching, once-in-a-lifetime experience for the participants. And lastly, the color selected, represent the most dominant common flag color in the represented countries.